Operation Macbook Optical Drive Replacement - A Complete Success!

Mein Problem

My MacBook is over 4 years old and never really read discs well since the day I bought it. It would spin them around for a while and then eject them, and usually I'd just keep re-feeding it until the disc was finally accepted, but when I tried to upgrade my OS to Snow Leopard a couple of months ago, it just wouldn't take! I tried everything I could think of before I finally just accepted that I'd have to take it in to an Apple store to replace the whole drive, or consider buying an external one. However, in my search for purchasing an external optical drive, I stumbled across the iFixit.com website and it planted the seed in my mind: why pay someone else to do what I could probably do myself?

Meine Reparatur

I threw on some good lighting, some comfortable clothes, and got to work. Once I had the correct size screwdriver in hand, I was able to get going! I have never in my entire life tried to take apart anything electronic, much less put it back together when I'm finished. Honestly, I can hardly put batteries into flashlights correctly! But the guide seemed easy and clearly written, so I gave it a go. I did the entire thing by myself, losing only one screw in the process, and held my breath once I powered my MacBook back on. It lived! And even better, it accepted my Snow Leopard OS disc immediately. This drive works even better than the one that came with my computer!

Mein Rat

Even though the guide calls for size #0, #00, and #000, and I bought all three, you really only need the size #000. I did the entire thing with just that one screwdriver. Also, keep track of which screws go where! I put a short screw into a long screw spot and effectively lost it into the abyss. It fell out on it's own 10 min later when I wasn't paying attention, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Either it defied the laws of physics or my cat found it. I'd put money on the latter scenario ;)